Pic D shows the modern lion cub, including 1 – the first digital pad, and 2 – the carpal pad. Images: Pic: A V Lopatin/Scientific Reports The cub belongs to the subfamily Machairodontinae, ...

Instead, Smilodon belonged to a distinct subfamily of cats known as Machairodontinae. These ancient big cats thrived during the Pleistocene epoch, which spanned from about 2.5 million to 11,700 years ...